Tea-rrific! Ice Cream founder sees floral and savory replacing salted caramel as ‘new hot flavor’
The company’s full line of seven tea-based flavors is: Ginger Matcha, Masala Chai, Matcha Green Tea (launched in March 2016), Chamomile, London Mist (Earl Grey tea infused with vanilla), Chunky London Mist, and Lavender’s Blueberry.
The ice cream is available throughout the Midwest, Northeast, and parts of the Mid-Atlantic in major US retailers such as Whole Foods, ShopRite, Stop & Shop, King’s, and Fairway for $4.99 to $6.49 a pint and single-serve cups for $1.49 to $1.99 each.
Chai taking over salted caramel in ice cream
“Consumers are looking for new flavor experiences and there is a strong trend in floral, savory, and tea-infused foods,” Tea-rrific! Ice Cream founder and president Mario Leite told DairyReporter.
“I could see chai taking over the mantle of salted caramel as the new hot flavor in the ice cream market.”
He also said that the tea-infused ice cream is a way for American consumers to indulge in something that has a clean ingredient list.
“While still an indulgent full-fat ice cream, we consider it a better-for-you item compared to other super-premium brands as we tend to lean toward fruits, nuts and other healthier inclusions such as tea, ginger juice, and spices to create our flavors.”
All flavors of ice cream include fresh-brewed tea and other minimally-processed ingredients like hormone-free dairy, cage-free eggs, and organic evaporated sugar. The ice cream is also free from stabilizers, preservatives, and corn syrup.
Focus on taste, texture, and finish
Tea-rrific! Ice Cream is just as concerned about flavor and texture as it as with aftertaste, an area Leite feels competitors ignore or do not pay enough attention to.
The ice cream “leaves just the essence of tea on your palate,” Leite said, which he credits to fresh brewing all of the tea and making all other flavoring elements in-house without the use of gums or stabilizers.
“We feel this last trait is overlooked by many other ice cream brands that are mainly focused on flavor and texture.”
Expanding into non-grocery retail
Leite believes that Tea-rrific! Ice Cream has an increased opportunity for expansion in non-grocery retail channels, such as entertainment venues, hospitality, c-stores, and travel. Tea-rrific! Ice Cream is currently supplied in 2.5 gallon bulk tubs of ice cream to food service businesses in Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island, and most recently, Northern California.
“I feel like in many places ice cream is an afterthought and just used as an a la mode rather than owners and chefs offering unique, well-made ice cream as a centerpiece of their dessert menus and experimenting with them in other ways such as alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks,” Leite said.
Offering premium artisanal ice cream like Tea-rrific would ultimately benefit food service establishments by elevating the dining experience of the customer, leading to a higher average check price per sitting, Leite added.
